The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless are condemning the City for forcing migrants in need of shelter and assistance to sleep on local streets.

“There is no dispute that the City has a legal obligation to find an appropriate placement for anyone in need of shelter in a timely fashion,” reads a statement from the organizations. “Denying new arrivals placement and forcing people to languish on local streets is cruel and runs afoul of a range of court orders and local laws.”

Since last summer, Legal Aid and its partners have implored the City to increase shelter capacity by implementing various policies such as providing real case management for new arrivals; expanding CityFHEPS housing vouchers; and correcting understaffing of City offices charged with processing subsidies that enable households to move from shelter to permanent housing; among others.

Legal Aid is also calling on Governor Hochul to provide resources, coordination, and funding to help the City accommodate new arrivals. Advocates are specifically calling on the Biden Administration to grant immediate work authorization for these individuals.

If the situation continues unabated, Legal Aid and its partners are prepared to bring litigation to enforce the law.